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Creature Features: Celebrating a Golden Age of Practical Effects

This October, we’re celebrating filmmakers who used practical effects to create some of the most memorable transformations and creatures in movie history. Back then, monsters were built by hand, shaped from clay, cast in foam latex, and brought to life with cables and puppets, all captured directly by the camera. These effects still impress today because audiences could see something real on set.

Tremors (Oct. 8), directed by Ron Underwood, introduced the Graboids, which are gigantic, tentacled underground worms created by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. of Amalgamated Dynamics. The miniature effects for these creatures were designed by Robert and Dennis Skotak. The film turned a small desert town into the setting for a horror-comedy siege.

The Fly (Oct. 15), directed by David Cronenberg, features Jeff Goldblum’s slow and disturbing transformation into "Brundlefly." This body-horror classic was brought to life with make-up effects by Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis.

An American Werewolf in London (Oct. 22), directed by John Landis, delivered a transformation sequence that changed the genre. Rick Baker’s man-to-wolf effects earned the first Academy Award for Best Make-up.

The Thing (Oct. 29), directed by John Carpenter, terrified audiences with a shape-shifting alien. Rob Bottin’s grotesque, ever-changing creature effects are still some of the most unsettling ever seen on screen.

Poster Carousel

Poster Carousel 1990 - 1990 - nineteen hundred - 1911 - A ciamabra - Abbot & Costello: Lost in a Harem - Aberdeen - Aberdeen - Abel Edwards - Aberdeen - Ace Ventura: The Animated Series - Acquired Taste - Mystery Street - Adventures of Felix - Adventures of Mark Twain - Age of Adeline - AIRPORT COLLECTION - ALAIN RESNAIS: A DECADE IN FILM - Aaska: Spirit of the Wild - Albino Aguilar - Aiive - Beyond the Steps - Beyond the Steps: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater - Beyond the Steps - Beyond the Steps - Boy A - Christo: Islands - Haack: The King of Techno - Mania Mania 1 - Martin - RENTAL: City of Dreams - RENTAL: National Treasure - Nice Bombs: My Journey Back to Iraq - Nickelodeaon - Night Before, The - Night Movies - Night of Ferocious Joy, A - Nine Good Teeth - No Escape - Noah, The - Naom Chomsky: Rebel Without a Pause - Nobody - Noi - Foresaken - The Foresaken Land - Prayer Before Dawn, A - A Dog's Purpose - Thin Man 5: Thin Man Goes Home - Thin Man 6: Song of the Thin Man - Eight Below - El Mariachi - Who is Who - Tomorrow Show: Tom Snyder's Electric Kool-Aid Show - Zatoichi - RENTAL: Born in Flames - Transporter 3 - Tunes of Glory - Juice (1992) - Lumière, Le Cinema! (2024) - The Witches (1990) - Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) - Good Time Girls: Sin, Gin, Gore, & Lore (2016) - Bears of Durango (2018) - Acting Like Women - Amongst the Birds - Beauty of Errors - Bend In The River - Better Go Mad In The Wild - Black Zombie - Blood & Guts - Dad Genes - Frost Without Snow and Ice - Give Me the Ball! - Green Valley - High School (1969) - How Deep Is Your Love - Humboldt, USA - I Follow Rivers - Iron Winter - Landscapes of Memory - Menopause Mystery - Militantropos - Nova 78 - Oldest Person In The World - Once Upon A Time In Harlem - Our Mr. Matsura - Powwow People - Shalom - Silver Screamers - Sirens Call - Soul Patrol - The Life We Leave - INDIGENOUS FUTURES: The River Remembers + Respect the Rez - To the West, in Zapata - Who Moves America - Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird) - You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution... - WILD REMAINS SHORTS PROGRAM - Wild Inside (2026) - Coyote vs. Acme (2026) - Tremors (1990) - The Fly (1986) - American Werewolf in London (1981) - The Thing (1982) - Onslaught (2026) - 9 to 5 (1980) - Late Fame (2026) - The Work in Progress (2026) - The Weight (2026) - Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (2026) - 2026 Doctober Opening Night Party

Showtimes

Showtimes Coyote vs. Acme (2026) | 10:15AM, 12:40PM, 3:25PM, 5:55PM, 7:45PM Late Fame (2026) | 10:35AM, 5:25PM Bears of Durango (2018) | 1:00PM Wild Inside (2026) | 3:10PM Onslaught (2026) | 8:20PM

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Site Note

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We open 30 minutes before the first showtime of the day.

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All theaters are ADA accessible with wheelchair seating.

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Closed captioning and assistive listening devices are available at the box office.

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Pickford Film Center

1318 Bay St
Bellingham, WA 98225

Office | 360.647.1300
Movie line | 360.738.0735

info@pickfordfilmcenter.org

Mailing Address
PO Box 2521
Bellingham, WA 98227

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Pickford Film Center